Smile
by illepidam
Summary: He wasn't a kid anymore. In this ever changing world, he couldn't afford to remain stagnant. There were things he had to do and people he wanted to protect. He was moving forward, even if he had to leave some things behind. (Post-DNW, Pre-DNWGaiden)


It took him this long, but he realized naivety was one of many shackles that kept him from seeing the true muddied color of the world. Looking up at the sky now, he realized how he had taken them for advantage before. Those laughs, those smiles, those happy hearts that ignored the darkness that lurked in the edges of their vision and, in turn, the surroundings of their small community.

He used to be such a carefree child whose only goal was to surpass his brother. After all that had happened, he realized it was small compared to what he truly needed to face. He was no longer a child, and the responsibilities that once settled on his brother's shoulders were not placed on him. He couldn't wallow in distress and self hatred and self pity.

He continued to train and continued to perform the duties as expected of their family. The Gokumonjo was ruined – by his own hand – leaving to question where the prisoners were meant to go, but the task remained that they, the Kumou brothers, should apprehend those who dared to fight against the law and return them to their rightful place in society.

It was a neverending cycle. While others might find it a burden, Soramaru did not. It was his family's pride and joy. It was his duty. He wanted to protect those around him. He wanted to protect everyone. One day, his aspirations would reach beyond Otsu. It would envelope all of Japan.

So he did what he could to become stronger. Day after day, he would go spar with Sousei. There were many times he lost, but there were also times he won. They would come to an impasse time and again, and Soramaru sometimes left frustrated. Still, he kept going back. He recognized his own inadequateness and the weight of his responsibilities. Where he once cried, he now faced with determination.

In this, he never realized that in the passing year, his expression began to change. Though the family was back together again, and Tenka still smiled like an idiot, things weren't the same. They would never be the same. Even if they participated in some of their old childish antics, they all knew they could not continue as before.

Everyone knew it, though no one openly spoke on it. Soramaru, too, often kept his thoughts to himself. It pulled at the corners of his eyes and the edges of his mouth. The carefree light that once made them bright had dimmed. He could still grin and laugh as he used to – he reckoned Tenka was partly the source of that, in his efforts to keep the house from being shadowed by a perpetual gloominess – but at times his heart was not into it.

They were all barely holding onto the thread called happiness. Even though several months had passed since the Orochi had been defeated, their wounds had not been mended. The gashes were laid bare, red and raw, barely stitched together with crude handiwork.

Soramaru stood atop the stairs that led to and from the Shrine. He stared over the tops of the trees to the sky. He had lost so much. A wan smile curled his lips. _So much._ The bright of the sun shone all over the city, but still it did not seem to reach their home. It was merely a clock to let them know what time of the day it was. It now told him the day was young, starting up yet another strained display of normality. When would things truly be normal? Would they ever be? Was it but a childish dream? He didn't quite know the answer, but he knew he couldn't just dwell and mull over something with his feet rooted to one spot. He had to keep going. Until one day, the smile he wore on his face came from the very depths of his heart and he could proudly wear it in front of those around him.

"Soooramaruuu–!"

The whine of an older voice from the house reached his ears. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Tenka playing with the wheelchair while he waited for him. Seeing it, he felt a stab of pain in his chest. Nothing could truly go back to the way it was. But he would do whatever he could to make his world – all of Japan – as bright as possible. To make the sun but a dull flicker of light in comparison to the brilliance of their joy and happiness and love.

"Aniki..." he sighed in exasperation and made his way back to the house.

He would do what his brother could not. He would take on the burden. They wouldn't have to play pretend any longer. The world was continuously moving forward and so should he. Nothing would be as it used to, but he would help create a world that was far better than it was before.

Tenka's childish whining grew more insistent the longer he took to get to the front entrance. He wore an equally childish expression on his face, exaggerated as per usual. "Soramaruuu, your big brother has to take a poop–! If you don't hurry I'll get diarrhea–!"

"You can go without my help! Stupid Aniki. I'm busy making breakfast."

Yes, Soramaru would do what he could not before. He wasn't a child. He was the successor of the Kumou duty. His innocence might have been shattered to pieces the day Orochi was awakened, but he still had his will and determination. He would dedicate his whole self into protecting his loved ones and those around him. That was his duty–

No, that was his wish.

Tenka made pitiful sounds and wheeled his way to the restroom. Soramaru watched him, a small smile on his face.

One day... they would all get to laugh and smile and have fun again. With all their hearts. With all their souls. The muddied world would be washed with color again.


End file.
